Mud Crabs
Mud Crabs are, given their name, crabs that live in mud, most notably those in swamps and the swamp islands of Cuthlet. They range from regular crabs, to giant crabs, to siege crabs. Physical Description Mud Crabs begin life as simple, little crabs, as all little crablings do. Despite living primarily in fresh water (though they CAN live in salt, though the open ocean is full of danger for a crab), Mud Crabs look more like salt water crabs, with slightly enlarged pincers and a blue coloration they attempt to hide by wallowing in mud (which is also how they avoid the brunt of Cuthlets storms). The crabs grow all throughout their life, however, once they reach a certain size they burrow deep into the mud, and go through a month long metamorphosis through which they become Giant Crabs. Giant Crabs, as the name suggests, are simply enlarged Mud Crabs with more aggressive tendencies. Many Giant Crabs find a liking for meat, instead of merely the plant matter their smaller kind eats, though it will more often be a scavenger than a hunter. It's not an uncommon sight for a dead traveler or ship wrecked and drowned sailors to be beset upon by opportunistic crabs. Oddly, despite their size, Giant Crabs have little need of space, and a Giant Crab is perfectly happy walking and living on top of its fellows. When a Giant Crab has consumed and tucked away enough meat, which is a rarity in actual fact, it again retires to the mud for a month, this time to become a terrible Siege Crab. Siege Crabs are not like their smaller brethren. During its last metamorphis, a Mud Crab grows a second set of pincers, an enlarged mouth full of razor sharp teeth, and a VERY bad attitude. Siege Crabs are purely carniverous, and will not hesitate to eat Mud Crabs, though Giant Crabs are too big and hard shelled for its taste. And unlike the Giant Crab, a Siege Crab isn't afraid to hunt for what it wants, some wandering the swamps looking for prey, others burying themselves in mud and awaiting the right target. Despite this, a Siege crab usually only eats the tastier parts of a body, leaving the rest to rot. This often leads to a Siege Crab having a plethora of Giant Crabs following them around to pick at their half consumed prey. Siege Crabs are not afraid of the ocean, and often braves it's depths to seek new hunting grounds on other islands. This also means that they make good aquatic mounts, especially for battle... if one can train such a terrible predator! Habitat Mud Crabs typically live in swamps and other muddy areas, most notably the swamp islands on Cuthlet. Some also live in rather polluted or muddy beaches and the like. They avoid pure water for the most part however, as they are easy to spot without being covered in mud, and need to burrow into a great deal of the gloop to transform when their time is nigh. Origin Mud Crabs were created from the Mother, to provide a food source for the Naga and to live on the swamp islands. A Siege Crab is more likely to try and make a meal out of a Naga though! Not that they succeed overly often, a Naga is a heavy and powerful target. As a side note, Mud Crabs are absolutely delicious. Their flesh is tender, and is full of nutrients. "A Mud Crab for every meal" is a saying relating both to healthy living, and to wealth and prosperity. Giant Crabs are even more tasty than Mud Crabs, and with more flesh to go around are much sought after. Siege Crabs are even MORE tasty than Giant Crabs, and is often described as the food of kings, both for it's high quality, the rarity of the creature, and the fact that it's so hard to hunt that the tally of Siege Crabs caught, killed and eaten in a year number in the tens if not less. The fact they're often better used as mounts or engines of destruction on the battlefield also makes for Siege Crabs actually being eaten rather rare. Stats Insert a Monster Stat Block here if you have one.